The present invention relates to modular cervical support and redefinition structure, and in particular, to such structure which features selectable, interactively cooperative components including an elongate cervical collar with a special, elongate, central, cervix-engaging, and spatial profile redefining cervical region which is adapted to receive, detachably, and either directly, or through an adjustable pillow-sling structure (also referred to both as a sling, and as a wrap), a pillow, or pillow structure.
There are many applications for cervical support structures. These typically take the form of an elongate cushioning collar that can be wrapped around a wearer's neck to engage, inter alia, the cervix, or a specially configured “free standing” pillow which is generally free from (i.e., not secured or attached to) a user, and which is employed with the user lying down with the back of the neck supported on the pillow. While both of these prior art cervical support devices have utility, the present invention recognizes a unique way, and furnishes a unique structure, for combining these dual utilities in highly reconfigurable manners, and in ways which enable effective, selective profile redefinition of the cervical area of the neck to enable specifically “tailored” cervical support.
In its fully operative condition with respect to a user, the collar of this invention is wrapped circumferentially, and removeably, about the user's neck, and an elongate, preferably, though not necessarily, cylindrical pillow is attached removeably to the back, central, cervical region of the collar, either directly, or through the mentioned adjustable sling structure. The sling structure, when used, forms an elongate, selectively sizeable, double-open-ended tube, also referred to herein as an adjustable receiving space, that receives and holds the pillow. This sling structure may be furnished in different, selectable sizes, with each such size being preferably chosen to handle, nominally, pillows (referred to as being modularity-characterized) having cross-sectional areas (trans-axial, cross-sectional configurations) that generally lie within a given size range.
Connective, interface attaching structure employed between the selected pillow and the central cervical region in the collar is designed, according to the invention, to enable easy and versatile, variable-disposition, removable attachment of the pillow in a wide variety of useful relative locations and orientations. The cross-sectional configuration of the collar's cervical region is modifiable, through collar selection, to function so as effectively to redefine the outside spatial profile of the cervix which, as so “redefined”, can be uniquely and specially supported by a pillow to suit different cervical-support situations and conditions.
This combinational structure thus, while definitively offering a user substantially all of the advantages of the mentioned, individual, prior art cervical devices, provides, via unique modularity, and changeable relative positionability, of attachable/detachable components, many more features and advantages.
These and other features and advantages which are offered and attained by the present invention will become more fully apparent as the description which now follows is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.